If you think Sony’s only contribution to the motoring world was the hugely successful Gran Turismo series, think again: in a potentially industry-changing move, the technology giant has confirmed it is actively exploring entering the electric car market.
The Japanese firm has been interested in electric vehicles for several years, and in 2020 revealed a Vision-S 01 concept car that was designed as a testbed for prototype vehicle technology. Last year, Sony also began testing 5G connectivity technology on the car.
While that machine was tested on public roads, Sony insisted it was largely being used to develop both imaging and sensing technology and ‘human-machine-interface’ (HMI) systems. Building a whole car did seem like a lot of effort to go to to test some systems, and it's now clear that Sony has far bigger ambitions.
Sony has now revealed a new prototype vehicle, called the Vision-S 02. The new vehicle takes the form of a seven-seat electric SUV, and Sony claims is based on the same EV and cloud computing platform as the Vision-S 01.
At the same time, Sony will launch a new company called Sony Mobility Inc, which it says will “intends to explore entry into the EV market”. While that stops short of an absolute commitment, it’s a huge statement of intent, especially given Sony’s history of success in every field of consumer electronics it has entered – such as when it took on Nintendo and Sega with the first-generation PlayStation concept.
That said, even for a company with the technical know-how of Sony, entering the EV market is a huge step, given both the specialist skills required and the incredible challenge of manufacturing cars at scale. That’s why few tech firms have succeeded in the switch: Samsung has a limited present in the Korean market through a partnership with Renault, but both Apple and Dyson abandoned recent efforts to develop their own cars.
But there is a huge opportunity: cars using electric technology and featuring advanced driver assistance systems are far more dependent on software and other new technology. Cars firms such as the Volkswagen Group, Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz are hastily trying to reinvent themselves as software-driven technology firms, for example.
The tech within the Vision-S concepts
The key appeal for a firm such as Sony to launch a car is that the push towards electrification and autonomous machine has moved the automobile industry much closer to the consumer electronics world in terms of technology.
Sony has been testing a raft of safety systems, including both CMOS image sensors, three-dimensional LiDAR scanners and 360-degree sensors. Sony says that system feeds information to the driver through the HMI (basically the car’s controls and displays) and the vehicle’s sound system. Sony claims it is already testing ‘Level 2+’ advanced driver assistance systems on the road in Europe.
The firm is also developing in-car technology. It is working on time-of-flight (ToF) sensors that monitor functions for both driver authentication and can monitor passengers. That allows for both gesture and voice commands to be used. Sony is also working on systems to allow users to customise both the display theme and the noises the machine makes when acceleration and slowing down.
Predictably, Sony has also installed the concepts with a range of advanced connectivity systems, built around a 5G wireless connection. It says that will allow for some vehicle settings - such as the door locks - to be controlled via a smartphone. The system will also enable over-the-air (OTA) updates, which will allow Sony to offer ‘value-added offerings’ on a regular basis.
Notably, Sony also says that it has put a focus on remote operation of the concepts “in anticipation of the arrival of the autonomous driving era”, with tests already ongoing in both Japan and Germany.
Very fancy tech, but can I play PlayStation games in it?
Of course, with Sony’s long experience of consumer technology it is working on plenty of shiny kit to enhance the in-car experience. That includes ‘three-dimensional’ seat speakers, and a digital video series called ‘Bravia Core for Vision-S’. That will enable users to play videos either on the individual rear-seat displays built into the rear seats or the front panoramic digital display screen (presumably when the car isn’t in use).
And yes, Sony says that you can remotely connect the Vision-S concept to a PlayStation console at home, allowing you to stream games through the cloud. Which actually means you could play Gran Turismo while sitting in a car.
What else will Sony Mobility do?
Sony Mobility’s ambitions aren’t capped at exploring an enter into the EV market. The firm has also been tasked with using AI and robotics technology to “help realise a world where everyone can live in harmony with robots on a daily basis”. That includes developing its autonomous entertainment robot called Aibo, and its Airspeak drone.
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